Firebox and grate



Jam.v 1s, 1944. i J MOONEY' 2,339,506

FIRE Box AND GRATE Filed Nov. 18, 1941 Y (g Im..

'HM f i f N N ,l w., 555@ A wc/Mio@ \l s Ln /Voo/z @y Patented Jan. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE FlREBOX AND GRATE John H. Mooney, Nellis, W. Va.

Application November 18, 1941, Serial No. 419,640

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the class of stoves and furnaces and pertains particularly to an irnproved re box and grate construction.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved fire box and grate construction wherein the re box walls are so designed as to hold the heat so as to'radiate the same over a long period and the lower part of the fire box is provided with a novel grate structure which functions as a means for discharging finely burned ash thru to the ash pit and also for admitting draft air into the re box in regulated quantities.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fire box grate having in combination a rotatably mounted cylinder thru which air ventilation openings or passages are formed diametrically and a sliding plate disposed at one side of the cylinder and adapted to be moved in a horizontal plane toward and away from the cylinder for the purpose of dumping the re and ashes when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a re box grate structure having the elements above set forth, with novel means for controlling such elements particularly for shifting the plate back and forth with respect to the rotatable cylinder.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it being understood, however, that the invention is not to be considered as limited by the specific illustration or description but that such illustration and description constitute a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing- Fig. l is a View taken vertically from front to rear thru the i'lre box and grate structure embodying the present invention together with adjacent portionsu of a stove.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing the numeral I generally designates the fire box of the present invention above which lies the combustion chamber for the fuel gases and the portion of the stove in which the fuel is initially placed, this combustion chamber being indicated by the numeral 2. A door 3 opens into the combustion chamber and the `gas outlet, therefore, is indicated by the numeral 4.

Below the fire box is the ash pit 5 at the front of which is a clean out and draft door 6.

As shown the walls of the re box are of substantial thickness, the front and rear walls being respectively indicated by the numerals 1 and 8 while the side walls are indicated by the numeral 9. The inner faces of the walls 1 and 8 are straight or vertical through ra portion of the length thereof as indicated at Ill andthey then slope outwardly as indicated at I0' so that the sloping portions converge to form a throat.

The lower partor bottom of the fire box is open as shown and disposed in the open lower part thereof to extend transversely between the side walls 9 is a solid cylindrical body II having a plurality of air passageways I2 extending diametrically ther'ethru. The ends of the cylindrical body Il carry the axial trunnions I3 which position in 'bearing openings lI4 in the adjacent walls 9. One of these trunnions extends beyond the outer side of the side wall and has secured thereto a crank I5 by means of which the body is turned so as to locate the air passageways I2 vertically, horizontally or in any position between these two extreme positions.

As is shown in Fig. 1, the lower part of the inner face I0 of the front wall 1 has extending lengthwise thereof an arcuate recess I6 and the adjacent side of the cylindrical body II extends into this recess and consequently the face IIJ of the front wall lies directly over a portion of the body. The cylindrical body is of a diameter materially less than the width of the space between the opposing walls II) and consequently there is provided between the body II and the face I of the rear wall 8 a space I1 thru which ashes and the fire may be dumped when desired as hereinafter described.

At each end of the space I1 the end wall 9 is provided with a horizontal guide slot I8 as is shown in Fig. 2 and extending lengthwise of the space I1 is a sliding shut off plate I9 the ends of which are slidably supported in the slots I8. The slots I8 extend beneath the thick rear or back wall 8, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the plate I9 may be retracted to a position substantially entirely beneath the back wall thus fully uncovering or opening the space Il. W'hen the plate is shifted toward the body II it is stopped with its forward edge in close proximity to this body and with a portion of its back edge beneath the wall 8 and it thus forms a closure for the space and a support for the fuel and ashes.

Asis clearly illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing, the plate I9, or more particularly the upper or top surface thereof, is positioned above the axial center of the body II and also above the passageways I2 when horizontally disposed, and

thus assuring closing oi al1 draft when the passageways I2 are in such substantially horizontal position. It is also to be pointed out that the body Il is of such diameter to assure the plate I9 being at all times beyond the vertical or axial center of the firebox. This is important as the life of this plate I9 is materially prolonged as it is positioned out of line of the highest heating temperature of the combustion chamber. Furthermore,v this plate I9,` in additionto facilitating the removal of ashes or cinders, also provides means easily operated for further regulating the draft to the combustion chamber.'

It is also important that the periphery of the" solid member II be smooth, as is clearly, illus,

trated in the drawing, so that no fuel or other.

material will be drawn through to the ashpit v5 as the member II is rotated. This is particularly desirable as there will be no resultant waste of fuel within the combustion chamber.

y ExtendingY transversely of the ash pit 5 beneath the plate I9 is a shaft 20,:the ends of which are rotatably supported in the side walls 9 and, as shown inFig. 2, one end of this shaft is extended beyond the outer side of a wall 9 to receive the cranlcZI.`

Upon the shaft 20 is supported a pair of small gears 22 and the teeth of these gears mesh with racks formed transversely of the under face of the plate I9, as shown in Fig. 1. Thus when the shaft 2U is turned the plate I9 will be shifted toward or away from the body I I.

With the present structure it will be readily seen that the air admitted to burning fuel in the re box` may be increased or decreased in quantity by turning the cylindrical body II so as to direct the passages I2 vertically or to locate them horizontally. When the passages are disposedvertically it will be readily apparent that fine ashes will fall through the passages into the ash box and in this way the passages function as a means for shaking the grate or reducing the ash content of the re box as well as providing a means for introducing draft air to the burning fuel. If a larger quantity of the ash is to be removed this may be accomplished by shifting the plate I9 slightly so as to enlarge the space between the plate and the cylindrical body or if the entire ash content of the box and the fire are to be dumped this can be accomplished by completely shifting the plate I9 to its limit away from the cylindrical body thus opening the space Il. and allowingthe fuel to fall thru. l

What is claimed is:

In a stove structure, a fire box having four vertical thick walls, each of said walls being of constant thickness thru a portion of its height and then sloping outwardly to a reduced thickness at its top, the box having a bottom opening, a cylindrical body rotatably mounted in said opening and having a length substantially equal to the distance between two side walls and having a diameter materially less than the distance between front and rear walls the front wall being undercut at vits lower edge to receive a portion of the cylinder, there being a space between the body and the rear wall, said side walls each having a horizontal slot therein extending across said space and extending under the rear wall, a slide plate having its ends slidably mounted in said slots, said slide being of a width to be substantially completely housed in the portion of the slot extending beneath the rear wall racks upon the underside of said plate, gears rotatably mounted under the plate and engaging said racks, means for turning said gears to shift the plate toward the body to close said space and away from the body under the rear wall to open the space, said body having air passageways diametrically therethru, and means for turning the body, the upper surface of the plate being above the openings through the body when said openings are in their horizontal position.

JOHN H. MOONEY. 

